On Christmas Eve morning, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop for all American Airlines flights due to a technical issue affecting operations. The ground stop, which lasted for about an hour, was requested by the airline on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
American Airlines attributed the disruption to a hardware issue with systems operated by DXC Technology, a vendor responsible for maintaining the airline’s flight operating system. This system coordinates flight dispatch and operations.
Just before 8 a.m. ET, the airline confirmed that the issue was resolved, and flights resumed. The FAA lifted the ground stop, allowing American Airlines to resume its scheduled flights. The airline apologized for the inconvenience and assured passengers that their teams were working hard to expedite travel for customers.
American Airlines had approximately 3,900 flights scheduled on Christmas Eve, a sharp decrease from the 6,400 flights planned for the previous day. Passengers reported delays at gates, with issues scanning boarding passes, as the airline worked to resolve the situation.
The airline expressed its gratitude for customer patience and confirmed that operations were back on track after the brief disruption.
